A Gauteng woman, who broke the Guinness World Record after she gave birth to 10 babies, is reportedly appealing for help to raise the decuplets.
Gosiame Thamara Sithole, 37, gave birth to her bundles of joy – two more than doctors had earlier detected during the medical scans – at a hospital in Pretoria on Monday, June 7, breaking a record held by Malian Halima Cissé of Morocco, who gave birth to nine children last month.
According to IOL, Sithole, a retail store manager, said she had exhausted her savings after taking unpaid leave two months into her pregnancy earlier this year.
“I was sick. I left my job early and decided to stay at home because I couldn’t cope. I realised I was battling and decided to quit earlier than expected because my body couldn’t take it anymore. I decided to stay at home until I started feeling better,” she was quoted as saying.
Her husband Tebogo Tsotetsi was also not working. The couple already had twins.
Gosiame Thamara Sithole and her husband Tebogo Tsotetsi (Picture: Twitter/@Diegochuene
Sithole indicated that she would not be going back to work, saying her salary would not even cover the costs of the helpers she would have to employ to take care of the babies. Her immediate needs included clothes, baby formula, diapers and accommodation for the decuplets, the report said.
Meanwhile, a News24 report said on Wednesday that the government had no record of the birth of the 10 babies.
“Government has been unable to verify the authenticity of this birth at our facilities.
“We need to verify this story and provide assistance where needed,” government spokesperson Phumla Williams was quoted as saying.
Picture: Twitter/@hendrickmuduna